James the calf has gotten a little too big to be playing rough with the dogs on the farm.
This rescued calf might be a little too big to pretend he’s a dog.
Read: Meet the Adorable Cow That Really Wants to Be a Dog
James, a 4-month-old Highland cow rejected by the rest of his herd, could be seen in a video licensed by Caters, roughhousing with the dogs at his owners’ family farm on Asheville, N.C.
“He gets a little rambunctious around feeding time,” the calf’s owner, Emily Hopson, 32, said. “He tried to play with the dogs but he is getting so large that his head-butting — which was cute as a baby — but was getting too rough for them and they won't play with him as much as they used to.”
Emily said they think James suffered brain damage because he was so large at birth. He also didn’t know how to nurse from his mom and suffered from an infection early in his life.
For the first several weeks of James’ life, he lived in the house with Emily and her husband Adam.
“Once he got too big, we put him in a fenced-in area in our backyard where we keep chickens,” Emily said.
After moving the calf to a larger pasture, they soon realized James was being bullied by the other cattle. To make sure he had friends, they adopted other orphaned calves to keep him company.
“They are the perfect buddies for James,” Emily said. “All three hang out in their own little group and now the other calves think they are the cool crowd and want to join and hangout with them.”
Read: Holy Cow! A 6-Foot-4-Inch Bovine May Take the World Record for Tallest of Its Kind
She admitted she and Adam originally brought the cows onto their farm with hopes of raising grass-fed beef, but they soon became accustomed to the cattle as members of their family.
“He is the sweetest creature,” Emily said of James. “He loves to lick us and the dogs, and to just lay beside us and be scratched and petted.”
Watch: Family Throws Birthday Party for 1-Year-Old Rescue Calf Rejected by Its Mother
